"But what will he say? What will he think?" she cried.
"He will see it is for the best," answered the banker. "He himself will thank you for your action."
There was a long silence, broken only by the sound of the girl's sobbing. Finally she said:
"Very well, sir. I'll do as you say." She looked up. Her eyes were dry, the lines about her mouth set and determined. "Now," she said, "what are you going to do for him?"
The banker made a gesture of impatience as if such considerations were not important.
"I don't know yet," he said haughtily. "I shall think the matter over carefully."
Annie was fast losing patience. She was willing to sacrifice herself and give up everything she held dear in life to save the man she loved, but the cold, deliberate, calculating attitude of this unnatural father exasperated her.
"But I want to know," she said boldly. "I want to consider the matter carefully, too."
"You?" sneered Mr. Jeffries.
"Yes, sir," she retorted. "I'm paying dearly for it—with my—with all I have. I want to know just what you're going to give him for it."